This invention relates to a control lever device used mainly for a derailleur at a bicycle, and more particularly to a control lever device in which a lever shaft is supported to a fixing member fixed to a handle bar, and a control lever having a boss and a control portion, is supported rotatably to the lever shaft.
Generally, the control lever device used for controlling a bicycle derailleur is provided in the vicinity of a grip at the handle bar or at the bicycle frame, such as a top tube. The control lever device, when provided in the vicinity of the grip, is adapted to be turned at a lever control portion around the lever shaft by fingers of a cyclist's hand gripping the handle grip.
Conventionally, this kind of control lever device has the lever supported to the lever shaft which is mounted on the handle bar perpendicularly to the axis thereof. Accordingly, the lever, when operated, turns describing a round path around the lever shaft in a horizontal plane parallel to the axis of the handle bar. As a result, the lever control portion moves away from the cyclist's hand, which is gripping the handle bar, as the lever turns more and more. Hence, the cyclist must move his fingers to chase the lever control portion in its circular path of movement. The cyclist, however, cannot move his fingers to fully follow the movement of control portion along the circular path. Hence, the conventional control lever device is poorly designed since a cyclist's fingers cannot always follow movement of the control portion thereby creating a problem in the cyclist's ability to control the lever.
In the light of the aforesaid problem, this invention has been designed. An object of the invention is to provide a control lever device, in which the lever control portion properly follows finger movement of a cyclist's hand for operating the lever providing a cyclist with good control of the lever.
This invention is characterized in that the lever shaft is mounted on the handle bar in a relation of being slanted with respect to the axis of the handle bar, the control portion at the lever is positioned radially outwardly of the handle bar with respect to a boss, and the boss is inserted rotatably onto the slantwise lever shaft.
In detail, the lever shaft is slanted at its utmost end in the direction away from the handle grip, so that the control portion, which is directed toward the grip, is positioned radially outwardly from the handle bar more than the boss with respect to the axis of the handle bar.
The control portion at the lever turns around the lever shaft on a path, in a plan view, approximately parallel to the inward end face of the handle grip, whereby the control portion is turnable to match movement of the fingers of a cyclist's hand gripping the handle grip.
Furthermore, the lever shaft is slanted not only with respect to the axis of the handle bar, but also forwardly of the handle bar with respect to a vertical line intersecting the axis of the handle bar. In other words, the lever shaft is slanted in a two-dimensional direction such that the lever shaft is slanted at its utmost end in the direction away from the handle grip and frontwardly of the handle bar, whereby the control portion is turnable to more fully match finger movement of a cyclist's hand gripping the handle bar.
These and other objects and novel features of the invention will be more apparent from the following description in accordance with the accompanying drawings.